By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

WBC, WBA light flyweight champion Kenshiro Teraji (23-1, 14 KOs), 107.5, barely retained his belts as he exchanged a knockdown with ex-WBA titlist Carlos Canizales (26-2-1, 19 KOs), 107.75, and finally eked out a majority decision over twelve grueling rounds on Tuesday in Osaka, Japan. The official tallies were as follows: Omar Mintun (Mexico), Jun-Bae Lim (Korea) both 114-112 for Teraji, Jeremy Hayes (Canada) 113-113. The referee was Luis Pabon (Puerto Rico).

It might be Teraji’s toughest bout in his career except his one and only losing fight to Masamichi Yabuki.

Teraji, a versatile boxer-puncher with good footwork and jabbing, started comfortably, and decked Canizales with a countering right midway in round two.

The Venezuelan, however, turned loose and had the Japanese reeling to the ropes to score a knockdown back in the third.

After that, it became a give-and-take war.

After the fourth, the officials tallies were: 38-36 Canizales, 37-37 twice.

The four rounds from the fifth were give-and-take battle with the interim open scores after the eighth: 76-74 twice for Teraji, 75-75.

Teraji changed his strategy then and there from his original plan to score his fifth consecutive knockout win to a victory even by a decision by outjabbing the fading Venezuelan. Canizales, however, turned very loose to look for a come-from-behind KO in the tenth, when Teraji had a very narrow escape. The champ refused to mix up with the lion-hearted challenger but made the best use of footwork and left jabs in the last two sessions. It was a highly entertaining see-saw affair.

Promoter: Teiken Promotions.

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